1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of label roll packages and ink roller packages.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
It is known in the art to have a series of label rolls packaged in side-by-side relationship. A series of label rolls can be shrink wrapped or simply placed in a box. Each label roll is comprised of a web of pressure sensitive labels. Each label roll has a central opening. The central opening can be defined either by the inner wrap or convolution of the label web or by a core. The central openings of the label rolls are aligned to provide a tubular opening.
It is known to provide an ink roller in a partially transparent blister package, as disclosed with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. The blister package can be sized to be inserted into and frictionally held inside the tubular opening, but it sometimes happens that the ink roller blister package is far enough into the tubular opening to be difficult to remove without separating the label rolls or using a tool. The blister package construction of FIGS. 8 and 9 suffers the further disadvantage that the cover sheet is too small to be printed with very much data such as the part number, color information, the date of manufacture, the patent notice, the trade name of the manufacture, and other data. In addition, the ink roller can bleed ink onto the somewhat flexible paper cover of the blister package.
Alternatively, the ink roller can be packaged in a flexible, transparent plastic bag which is inserted into the tubular opening as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,987,897 to Smith. As with the blister package, the bag may move to a position too far into the tubular opening. The plastic bag approach suffers the disadvantage that the inside of the bag becomes coated with ink from the ink roller and this increases the chance that when the bag is opened to free the ink roller, the user will get ink on his/her hands. In addition to wasting ink, the bag gives an unsightly appearance and ink on the inside surface of the bag may obscure readability of printed data on the outside of the bag.
It is also known to provide an ink roller in a transparent, rigid container having a tubular portion integrally joined to an end portion and having a rigid removable plug or cap for closing off the open end. An unoriented ink roller extends axially of the tubular portion. The container is freely received in the tubular opening within the label rolls. Ink rollers with extensions or handles are known in the art, as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 3,957,562 to P. Hamisch, Jr. A blister package is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,620 to W. Lane, Sr.